Postmortem part 4
by Nome de Plume
Summary: The conclusion of Postmortem, at least for now....psst, interesting ending involving Trent and Daria


Postmortem part 4 (last one for now, sorry)  
Nom de Plume or just Paige  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
After having that at the library, Tom had driven Daria back home...only for his car to break down a block away from it. The drizzle had become a certified downpour and she offered for him to come with her and wait out the storm in her home. However, Tom turned her offer down. As she turned away, Tom went for broke and reached out for her. He held her for a brief moment.   
"I'll call you tonight?"  
Daria just nodded and walked away. Tom stood, seeing her walk away but he finally started for his home. That night, Tom had been able to reach Daria through telephone. He told her how it had taken him an hour to walk to his home and before long; they had eased up into a friendship.  
But they never mentioned Jane.  
  
Tom looked away from the window for a moment; Daria was staring into a void in front of her. He knew she was thinking about Jane.  
She was a subject that they could only think about in solitude.  
  
He let out a sad grin and looked out the window again  
  
For two weeks, although never having actually seen each other, they communicated through late night telephone calls and e-mails, Tom would even send her a postcard every now and then.  
By day however, Helen worried about his eldest daughter. It seemed to her that the only thing she did lately was highlight words in her thesaurus or read. Never did she see her write. She didn't want to pry, however. Instead, she'd call around noon from her office, to see how Daria was doing or invite her to lunch. Never did she have Marianne make the phone calls.   
It was a week since that night at Jane's house when Helen suggested to Daria that she'd become a counselor at a summer camp, as they had lunch together. As skeptical as Daria had been, looking at the other alternative, staying in Lawndale and what that was accompanied by, she had agreed. Having crawled back into her shell, except when she lurked out to communicate with Tom, she had become completely indifferent to everything. Indifferent to everything around and about her. It was also during that lunch that Helen had suggested she'd spend some time with Quinn. Helen also proposed the idea to Quinn that same day during dinner. Quinn had noticed there was something wrong with Daria and as much as she wished to ignore it, she simply couldn't. So she agreed.  
That night, she had mentioned it to Stacy, who had mentioned it to Tiffany, who had mentioned it to Sandi and on the following day, the fashion club plus one went to the mall. True, Daria's perception of her sister's friends hadn't changed, but, disillusioned, she brushed it off. Friendship was overrated anyhow.   
  
  
Tom gently shook Daria. They had reached their stop. While walking from the bus stop back to the restaurant's parking lot, Daria mused about how much walking she had done lately. It had helped though. Writing was simply something she couldn't do anymore.  
Once they reached Tom's car, they silently got into it and drove away. A few minutes later, they were in front of Daria's home. Walking her to the front door, they spoke;  
"Write to me, you have the beach house address, right?  
"Yes, do you have the camp's address?"  
"Of course." He smiled. He had it in his wallet.  
"Okay then, um, I'll guess I'll see you in two months."   
They stood silently; they had become friends, true, they were yet to be intimate friends, but they found comfort in each other's company.  
  
"Well, I hope you have fun in Ft. Myers."  
"Yeah, I always have fun there," He smiled, "you wouldn't believe how exciting it is down there."  
"Really?" Daria had her "Mona Lisa" smile on her lips.  
"No, not really," he confessed, "basically, I mill around in the beach, I think the most exciting thing that ever happened to me was getting stung by a jelly fish, that and catching some weird virus."  
Daria shook her head, "well, it will only be for two weeks, I, however, am doing a two month term."  
Tom cringed.  
"Besides, you will be able to hang out with your friends while I, well I'll..." she couldn't even say it.  
" Yeah, I know..." he truly wished he could help her but he just didn't anyway in which he could. Guilt punched his stomach. Seeing she had wandered off, probably thinking of Jane, he leaned down and kissed her on her cheek. Daria had jumped a little. The touch of his warm lips snapping her out of her trance.  
"Well, I'll see you in two months."  
"Yeah."  
  
Tom drove away and Daria walked into her home.  
  
  
The End  
  
  
NOT!  
  
The first person she saw as she walked through the doorway was Trent. He sat on one of the sofas, his back to her. She could hear Helen talking on the phone and could hear the faint thumps coming from upstairs. Probably another fashion club meeting.  
"Trent?"   
She walked over to him.  
"Hey Daria" his voice purred, he had a shy smile.   
"Um, what are you doing here?" she asked as she sat down in the other sofa.  
His shy smile faded a little and his brows expressed concern.  
" Well, I just wanted to see how you were doing."  
"Oh, well I'm okay."  
"Spending some time with Tom huh?" she didn't like where this was going.  
"Actually, I guess I was."   
"There's something different about you." Trent said, picking up on her tone of voice.  
"Yeah, just thought I'd try something new." She said, her eyes averting his face.  
"You look good"  
"Thanks."  
Trent kept looking at her and he saw how uncomfortable she was becoming.  
"So, your mom tells me you're leaving tomorrow to for summer camp, you're going to be a counselor, right?"  
"Yeah, I figure-" she couldn't say anything else, Trent still had a weird power over her.  
"That's cool Daria"   
They remained silent for a few more minutes.  
"So, I guess I better leave."  
"Wait, Trent!"  
Trent looked at her, hoping she'd ask.  
"How is she?"  
"She'll be okay Daria, I think going to Santa Fe for the summer will be good for her, you know, give her a chance to think about things."  
Daria slumped into the sofa. Trent walked over and sat next to her  
"Hey Daria, what happened wasn't your fault," he looked away, "some things are just meant to happen,"   
He looked back at her, "and some thing aren't."  
Daria couldn't explain it, but the haze that was driving her mad, began to clear up.  
" I guess I'll see you when you come back?"  
"Yeah."  
"Cool, see you in two months."  
"I'd like that."  
Daria walked him to the door and this time, Daria kissed Trent on the cheek.  
"See you in two months Trent."  
Trent gave her "the look" and smiled. She saw him walk away. His car must have broken down. Thank God for unreliable, old cars she thought as she closed the door and went up to her room to pack.  
  
  
The End, for now.  
  
  
Author speaks: my muse is satisfied.  
  
BUT, be on the look out for Postmortem part 5 after the season finale airs.  
  
Thank you to all the good people who have read my work! Thanks to all who have been kind enough to review my work, I would have never gotten this far with out you people.  
  
  
Daria is owned by MTV. I own nothing.... My little brother took away my decapitated teddy bear collection...freak:) I'm just a fan.  



End file.
